Present Demons
by Isisthatcan
Summary: Kat’s life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?
1. Chapter 1

Present Demons

Disclaimer: I do not own PR, otherwise there would be a lot more romance and actual couples mixed in with the fights, Lycra and zords.

Summary: Kat's life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?

Author's Note: Hiya! I got this idea stuck in my head so I had to write it down, and here's the result. My sis tells me its kinda similar to my other story, but I think there different enough so I decided to post it anyways. Especially since this one's going to be a lot darker than my other fic, which is all humour and happiness. They're also older in this one, around mid to late twenties. Please let me know what you think!

It really didn't matter. Not in the grand scheme of things. Not compared to other things, like health, friendship, a positive state of mind. It was only a silly idea. An idea she had slaved over in detail and commitment. So what if someone else was taking the credit? At least Katherine could still cling to the three things she had left.

Slumping gladly onto a seat on the bus, Kat dropped her bags and started massaging her head. All the thoughts and raw emotions that were consuming her mind were giving her a terrible headache. And because of this she was dreading her phone call to Tanya tonight. As well as slowly driving her into depression, her worthless job was now starting to affect one of the only good things left in her life. But it couldn't take away Tanya's friendship on a whole. They had been through too much together to let that happen. And Kat wouldn't lose it without a fight.

The bus's stopping sign lit up in front of her with a ding, luckily bringing Kat out of her thoughts. Otherwise she would have missed her stop for the fourth time that week.

Picking up her bags dejectedly she moved off the bus and started the walk home. She didn't live in a very good area, but it was cheap and her co-workers said it suited her perfectly. It had meant to be stopping spot between places; she hadn't planned to saty very long. But then the job came along and Kat thought it was gong to be brilliant. Instead it turned out to be one of the worst decisions in her life and now she was stuck; stuck and couldn't escape.

Opening the outer door of her building, Kat could hear the familiar jeers and insults from her drunken neighbours. She could even hear Kelsey crying again, probably sporting another bruise from her beloved fiancé. Kat wanted out of this place so desperately. But where could she go? Her family were all back in Australia, but she didn't want to go freeload off of them. It also felt like she'd be tainting something pure and good; her homeland was like a shrine to her. Messing that up would just be proof of how terrible she was to be around, as her co-workers constantly reminded her. Besides, even if she did get up the courage to go home she wouldn't have been able to afford it.

Unlocking her front door, Kat felt a small sense of safety. This was her home, small and desolate as it was, and they couldn't command what she did or thought here. Dumping her bags she turned and locked the door, making sure all three mechanisms were firmly in place. Kat knew she could defend herself, she had been a ranger after all, but she just wasn't prepared to take any unnecessary chances.

The light was beeping gently on her answering machine and Kat hoped it was good news, although she rarely had any. She needed something to help drag her out of this hellhole's affect on her.

"You have five new messages." The automatic voice stated.

'Five?' Kat thought, why would there be so many messages for her? She could just hear her colleagues laughter in her head now, for assuming that people would want to talk to her. As they constantly reminded her, nobody wanted to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. It was probably just a bunch of telemarketers.

"Kat! Hey honey. You won't believe it! I am soo excited. Can't WAIT! I hope you're coming. You'd better be!"

The immense swell of happiness that Kat had felt when first hearing Tanya's voice dimmed slightly as the message played; now confusion and doubt filled her mind. She had no idea what Tanya was talking about, which meant it probably didn't involve her. It wouldn't involve her, she knew, her co-workers were right – who'd want worthless, useless, ugly Kat around?

But the machine was still playing.

"Hiya Kat! It's been ages since we've talked but hopefully we'll catch up before everyone arrives. I can't believe its been this long already! Kim's so excited, I swear she's going to burst. I really hope you can make it!"

That was Aisha, sounding almost as excited as Tanya had just been. Now Kat was really confused. What was going on? And why was she going to be involved? The voices of her colleagues in her head were quieter now. It couldn't be a mistake if two of her friends were talking about it, wanting her to come, and Tanya and Aisha definitely wouldn't make something like this up just to get to her.

"Third new message," the machine deadpanned "message received at…"

Now Kat was desperate to hear the remaining messages, she wanted to know what was going on; and why people wanted her involved so badly.

"Hey hon, me again," Tanya's bubbly voice now had a slightly sheepish tone to it "Adam's just reminded me that you might not of got you're invite yet as you live further away, so you might not know what I'm going on about. It's our Angel Grove high school reunion! I really hope you can make it! We're gonna have such a brilliant time."

'High school reunion?' Kat thought as she slowly sank down the wall to the floor. How could see go back and show her face there? She had treasured memories of her time at Angel Grove; school, her friends, rangering. Going back would mean they'd see what a disgrace she was. They'd all hate her. She'd ruin everything – like she was told she always did.

"Fourth new message." The machine droned on.

"Hey kitty-Kat!" Rocky's warm voice was filled with it's usual exuberance, almost flowing out from the machine and bouncing off the walls to fill the whole flat. "We haven't talked in ages, but Tanya says you've been busy with your job so that's ok. I hope you can make it to the reunion though, it'll be such a ball if we're all there. It'll be good to see you, it's been way too long. Ring me if you get a chance, but if not no worries. Really hope you can make it!"

Kat was smiling slightly now, she'd forgotten that Rocky now always called her by that ridiculous nickname.

"Fifth new message."

"KAT!" Kim's happy scream caught Kat completely off guard, she'd almost jumped to her feet, making for a fighting stance. "I am so excited! You have to come! Just HAVE to! It won't be any fun if any of us aren't there. Oh, I was hoping to speak to you, we haven't spoken properly in ages. You're always so tired from that job of yours. But we'll have plenty of time to catch up if you come, and you just have to come! I don't care if I have to come over there and drag you back here myself! So there are your options missy, you know I'll do it! You HAVE to come!"

Kat was now full out smiling, something she hadn't done in a long time. Her friends wanted her to be there. They actually wanted her; somebody actually wanted Kat to be there for something. A small part at the back of her mind was telling her that she was being silly, that of course they'd want her there, she was their friend; but that part of her had been drowned out by taunts and cruelty for so long Kat almost didn't recognise it. The rest of her was so excited and happy. She was so excited that she reached for the phone, fingers itching to dial Tanya's number, almost unconsciously.

But the she remembered what they'd each also said: "… we haven't talked in ages … plenty of time to catch up…" and she froze.

That would mean talking about her job, about what a disgrace she'd become. And then instead of looking back at their memories of her fondly, they'd look back at them with pity. They would pity what she had become, and if there was one thing Kat couldn't, wouldn't, be able to stand it was them pitying her.

The meaning of all this depressed Kat even more. She wouldn't be ale to go. If she went, everything would just be so much worse. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she sat huddled on the floor, hugging herself for warmth. The thought of her friends wanting to see her, and the possibility of actually seeing them had made her feel happier then she had in months. Now, knowing she couldn't go and would be letting them down, she felt hollow and cold.

The phone's sudden shrill ring startled her so much that she fell sideways to the floor, landing with a bump and muffled yelp.

Suddenly Kat felt panicked. Looking at the time she saw that it was quarter to eight. Melissa had said she'd ring about now with details of tomorrow's schedule. If Kat missed this call, there'd be hell to pay tomorrow. But what if it was one of her friends?

Taking a deep breath, Kat sat up and reached for the phone. Whatever it was, she could handle this. She'd fought monsters as a teenager, she couldn't be afraid of a simple phone conversation.

"Hello?"

"Kat?" Katherine gasped as she recognised the familiar voice, one she hadn't heard in a long time.

"Jason?!"

He laughed at her exclamation, and Kat couldn't help but grin.

"Who else? Boy, is Kim going to be mad. She said she phoned you but only got the machine. I'm going to have to tell her that you wanted to talk to me more than you wanted to talk to her." He sighed dramatically.

"Don't you dare Jase!" Kat couldn't believe she'd just said that; she'd just outright challenged someone. She wasn't allowed to do that.

"And why not? It'll be fun."

"It wasn't her fault it was mine. Don't blame her. I've just got home from work, and-"

"Whoa, whoa! Fault? Blame? I was just joking Kat, kidding around. It's no one's fault." There was a hint of worry to his voice now.

Kat took a deep breath, her friends couldn't find out about what she was like now, it would ruin everything. "Of course, you're right. Sorry I overreacted. I'm just really tired from work."

"Is that all you are from work?"

"What d'you mean?" Kat asked nervously.

"Everything's ok with you right Kat? You'd tell us if anything was the matter? Or you needed help?"

"Of course I would."

"Good. 'Cos we're all worried about you over here. You'd better be coming to the reunion, we haven't seen you in ages. And Kim will probably explode from frustration if you don't come." Jason added jokingly.

"Yeah. Listen I've got to go Jase. I've only just got in and I need to eat and type some stuff up for tomorrow. Can I ring you back later?"

Sighing Jason agreed "Sure, just take care of yourself Kat. I hope we see you soon."

"Bye Jase."

Kat hung up and tried desperately to contain her tears, she wanted to see her friends so badly, but she'd only end up ruining it all.

On another continent Jason Scott put down his phone and sighed again in frustration. Something wasn't right with Kat. And it needed to be sorted.

_Review and tell me what you think? You know you want to_.


	2. Chapter 2

Present Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers, they own me! Hehe!

Summary: Kat's life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and sorry it's been a while since I updated. Hope you like this and please review!

Jason stood by the phone, thinking. He wasn't entirely sure what to do now. He'd heard from his friends over the last couple of months that Kat hadn't been doing so well; she always seemed tired from her job, never wanted to talk about anything and genuinely didn't' sound like herself.. Tanya had been worried the most, which was only natural as her best friend and almost-sister, but when Aisha, Rocky and Kim had all reported the same thing, the entire group of friends had started to worry. Jason now knew for sure that something was wrong, and if Kat wasn't talking, it was time for some 'friendly' intervention.

Picking up the phone again, he dialed Adam's number from memory.

It was picked up after the third ring "Hello?"

"Hey man, it's me."

"Hey Jase! What's up?"

"In a word? Kat."

"What's happened?" Adam's voice was instantly filled with worry, whereas it had seen easy-going seconds before.

"I don't know, but something is definitely wrong with her. And it's about time we sorted it out."

"I don't know man, they might be a reason she doesn't want us involved."

"I know, but I think it's gone way beyond that now. She's not herself, and doesn't seem to even know it, which is what worries me even more."

"Yeah," Adam sighed "Me too. So what are we going to do?"

"Have an intervention," Jason said calmly. "We're going to bring her out here before the reunion, sort everything out. Then she can have some fun with us at the party before she goes back."

"Sounds like a good plan. Who's doing what?"

"I'm not sure yet. But we're all going to do it together. Is Tanya there?"

"Sure, I'll just get her for you." Jason could hear his friend calling gently as he waited for here to respond.

"Jason?"

"Hey Tanya, you alright?"

"Apart from being worried about Kat, yeah I am."

"Well we're going to do something about that."

"About Kat?"

"Yep. We're going to find out what's wrong and help her sort it, and all in time for the reunion."

"That gives us a little under a month Jase." Tanya sounded slightly disheartened.

"So?"

"So, I've been trying to get her to talk for months and nothing's worked. Aisha and Kim have also tried; Rocky calls her lots too. Nothing's worked so far."

"But we haven't been working together," Jason said defiantly "And we're at our strongest when we're working together."

"You have a point there," Tanya admitted, and Jason could hear the slight hope that was now in her voice.

"Kat also hasn't had to deal with any of us face-to-face."

"You think that will help?" Now Jason could definitely hear the hope in his friend's voice.

"Absolutely. We've let this go far enough. Kat's not right and it's time we fixed that. What are you and Adam doing tomorrow night?"

PRPRPRPRPRPRPR

Jason opened his front door to the worried face of his best friend.

"Late as always." Jason said trying to crack a smile.

Tommy just shook his head, his eyes dark and clouded "Not funny man."

"I know." Jason sighed, and stood aside to let his friend enter.

Tommy headed straight down the hall to Jason's lounge without their usual greeting but Jason didn't care, it wasn't a good reason why they were seeing each other.

Jason shut the door and followed his friend, walking softly, his thoughts scattered about what to say next. He entered the room and was aware instantly that everyone was staring at him, even Tommy. Jason took a deep breath. It had been a long time since everyone had looked to him for leadership, and under the circumstances he wasn't sure he wanted it. But he also knew it had to be him. The only other person who could arrange it was Tommy, and he wasn't prepared to do it himself, as he'd told Jason last night, due to the fact that he cared too much about Kat to get done what needed to be. Jason knew this was a lot of trust placed on him from his best friend; that he'd do what needed to be done no matter what, and that he'd make sure Kat would come out of it ok and not hating them. Otherwise it wouldn't just be Tommy he would have to answer to.

They were now all looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something; Kim sitting on the edge of her seat, Aisha sitting next to her, flicking her eyes between her, himself and Rocky, who was sitting next to Aisha, his hands gripping the arms of the sofa rather tightly, Adam was seated on the two-person sofa, Tanya wrapped up in his arm, held tightly by his side, she looked so tired and weary; it was almost as if Adam was holding her up. Jason knew it was from worry about her friend and suddenly Jason wasn't nervous or worried anymore about what he had to do; he was angry at himself for not doing it sooner.

"Right. Everyone knows why we're gathered here and as you're all here I'm presuming you're all in. What we need now is a plan. I have a basic idea of what we can do but we need to work out details."

Everyone nodded.

"So what is the basic idea?" Rocky asked, leaning forwards to mirror Kim's position "I know you said the basic outline on the phone but just explain it to me again."

"We're all going to work together to tackle Kat," Jason said "We'll each call her once a night, taking it in turns. Some nights two of us will call. And by call I mean talk to her, not leave a message on her machine. We need to get her talking to us more, even if its not addressing the problem. She needs to know she can talk to us about anything, anytime."

"But she knows that." Kim said, her voice tight.

"She does yes, but I don't think she knows that she's not talking to us."

"How d'you mean?" Aisha spoke up.

Jason sucked his breath, suddenly unsure of how to continue.

"Jase…" Tommy said warningly "Tell us what're you're thinking."

"I'm thinking I have a slight idea about why Kat's been acting the way she has been."

"How do you mean?" Tanya asked, also leaning forward to give Jason her full attention.

"Ok," Jason said, deciding he should be honest with his friends about what he thought was going on "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to overreact because this is only a possibility and we don't know all the facts."

Tommy frowned slightly, knowing that the last part of what Jason had said was directed at him. But why would he overreact if Jason had an idea what was wrong with Kat? That would mean they might be able to help her.

Jason took another deep breath before continuing "It's just that down at the station there are lots of people who come in with signs similar to Kat's," he began slowly "Not wanting to talk about issues that are clearly having a negative effect on them, but not knowing they aren't talking about it. They're afraid of something but won't admit it because it seems so insignificant to them and unconsciously they don't see it as a problem. Most of the people we see are women, and they're the worst to handle as it's the most emotionally damaging to them."

"Emotionally damaging?" Tanya whispered, clutching tightly at Adam whilst Kim and Aisha had taken each others hands when Jason was talking.

"Do you mean," Rocky gulped and continued to stare at Jason almost as if he couldn't look anywhere else "That Kat is being emotionally… abused?"

The whole room went rigid, with everyone's breaths seeming to catch and hold in their chests. Tommy had gone completely still, yet every muscle in his body was tensed. Kim had gone ghostly pale and was looking at Jason as if, if he said it wasn't true then it wouldn't be, and somehow everything would be alright.

"It's a possibility." Jason whispered.

Tommy shot out of his chair, whilst Rocky growled and Tanya seemed to almost collapse against Adam.

"But if you've seen it then you'll know what to do, right?" Aisha said, holding tightly onto Kim.

"I have an idea, yes."


	3. Chapter 3

Present Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers, they own me… at least that's what the voices are saying…

Summary: Kat's life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated but I've been overloaded with work so I didn't have any time to myself. Also sorry that it's short but it was the best place to leave it for the next chapter. Hope you like and please review. Thanks to PurpleLeopard for the kick up the bum I needed to update this, I especially hope it was worth the wait for you.

* * *

Kat pulled the covers over her head and tried to keep her body from shaking. It hadn't been that bad, not everyone had seen, so she shouldn't be worrying about it. But they would all hear about by tomorrow and then her day would be a living hell.

Working in such a small company meant that everyone knew each other pretty well, that people had a specific job to do and did it. It also meant everyone was very tight-knit with each other; it had been one of the more appealing aspects of the job, appealing to Kat's sense of friendship and community. Everyone worked together as a team, making the process smooth and efficient. It was why they had such a good reputation and would always have clients.

It was also why Kat knew that her latest screw-up would be broadcasted to everybody by work tomorrow morning and that the usual evils directed to her would be ten times worse.

Burying herself deeper into her duvet-made hole all Kat wanted to do was sleep and never wake up. When she was asleep Kat didn't have to think about anything or try to please anyone, her body wasn't constantly reminded of how terrible it was or of how lazy it worked. And she wouldn't have to pretend that everything was ok.

Because it wasn't.

Kat knew that, she knew that something was wrong. But she also knew that she had caused the problem in the first place, that it was all her fault. She was the one to blame as she was daily reminded; everything was Katherine Hillard's fault, whether she had anything to do with it or not.

The phone suddenly leapt to life and Kat groaned, not wanting to deal with anything right then. She just had no energy, no drive to do anything; sleep was so appealing.

The answer machine clicked to life, doing its job as Kat remained stationary underneath the covers.

A bright cheery voice sounded across Kat's apartment as the pre-recorded message played; although why she should hear the request to leave the message when she'd been the one to pre-record it always puzzled Kat.

"Hey it's Kat here, sorry I'm not in or unavailable to get to the phone but if you leave a message after the well-known beep I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

That voice wasn't hers. The voice now leaving a message didn't register at all in Kat's mind as she stared hopelessly at her answer machine from the depths of her bed. That wasn't the voice she had anymore, hers was tired all the time now, tired and placid. Had her voice really been that cheerful? It can't have been. She only recorded that message a few months ago. How could such a large part of her change within a few months and she not even notice?

The shaking started up again, Kat too terrified to even try and stop it this time. Was she being affected so much that she didn't even realise it? And what exactly was it that was changing her? Yes work was bad, and the people were sometimes nasty to her but openly, on an every day basis they were fine. There were no exact confrontations or allegations ever made against her, and snide comments and bitching were part of everyday life. So was Kat just not coping with social interactions? Her work colleagues never did want to see her outside of working hours, although they were always boasting about what a fabulous time they were going to have, doing whatever it was they had planned. And this would fit with it being a problem with her, that it was her fault, and nobody else could be blamed.

Kat sighed and managed to sit up, her shaking having subsided as her thoughts had increased. Now she knew what was wrong there was no need to be moping around in bed. Besides she knew she had lots of work to do for tomorrow, and just because she'd messed it up yesterday didn't mean she'd not be expected to do this. After all Rachel had been the one to spot her mistake and point it out to everyone in the conference room, and Rachel was the same one who said Kat had to have everything in, perfectly, the next day.

Throwing the covers off of her she stood up and walked determinedly out of her bedroom, her thoughts processing what needed to be done for tomorrow and how much time she had to do it all in. She only paused as she passed her phone, the red light blinking on the device. Who had left the message? She couldn't even remember hearing the voice let alone what the person had to say. Sighing she hit the play button, hoping it wasn't anything to drag her down even further having worked out what to do with herself.

"New message." The machine said.

"Hey Kat," Kim's voice said, although it didn't sound as cheery as it normally did "I just wanted to have a chat with you but you're obviously not in from work yet. I'd love for you to call me back, I have a bit of a dilemma you could help me with. It's no problem if you can't, we just haven't talked in ages as well. I'm in now so if you get back and you're not too tired give me a bell."

Kat bit her lip nervously as she deleted the message from the machine, unsure of what to do next. She needed to get this work finished for tomorrow but it sounded like Kim needed her help. Kat shook her head and cursed herself for even having to think about what she should do. She had made a promise to herself that moving out to London would not affect the relationships she had with her friends, and here she was deliberating when one of them had just said they needed her help. Picking up the phone she dialled Kim's number.

One ring. Two rings Three-

"Hello?"

Kat took a deep breath and then spoke, trying for some of that cheeriness that the voice on the answer machine sounded like, the voice that was hers only a few months ago. "Hey Kim."

There was a pause on the other end and Kat nervously bit her lip, it had been ages since sh'd spoken to her pink predecessor "K-Kat?"

"Yeah it's me."

She heard Kim sigh and some voices speak in the background "It is so good to hear from you!"

"I know I've been busy from work and haven't called you much," Kat began.

"If you're even thinking about apologising missy forget it, it's fine. We all get a little busy. I'm glad you called back though i really do need your help on something."

Again Kat could hear people in the background and she frowned slightly, suddenly nervous. "Um, it sounds like you have company. I can call back later if you-"

"Don't you dare," Kim interrupted "I've finally got you on the phone I'm not about to let you go just because the boys are being rude, not watching their manners by taking loudly when someone's on the phone."

"The boys?"

"Tommy and Jason."

"Oh." Kat slumped against the wall slightly, trying to fight the sudden rising tears. She was suddenly so lonely and lost, missing them too much for words to describe; she'd never had any problems with them socially. She just wanted to be there with them so badly.

"So it's ok to just leave them whilst we talk."

"Ok," Kat said, drawing a deep breath "What did you need help with? You said on the mac-"

Kat was cut off by Kim's exclaimation "Hehe! I do need your help. I already have Trini, Aisha, Tanya, Ashley and Cassie's advice but I can't make any final decisions until I've talked to you, and now I am which is good as I still can't decide!"

"Decide what?" Kat asked, her curiosity piqued.

There was a distinct groan in the background before Kat almost got her ear squealed off "What I'm going to wear at the reunion!"

_A/N – I know I made Kim sound a little bit too materialistic but that's explained in the next chapter and is done so on purpose for the story, I'm not trying to write her like a bimbo airhead so please don't flame me until you're read the next chapter, if you have to at all. More coming soon._


	4. Chapter 4

Present Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers, they own me… at least that's what the voices are saying…

Summary: Kat's life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated but I've been overloaded with work so I didn't have any time. I promise not to leave it so long for updating the next chapter.

* * *

Kim flipped her hand through her hair for the fifth time in ten minutes, a habit she had gotten into – and perfected – at the Pan Globals. She was nervous, and couldn't stand the waiting. Although why she was surprised at the company she was expecting being late hadn't quite registered yet. In all the time she had known him, Tommy Oliver had always run late for something or other. She just hoped he was doing ok. They hadn't really talked since the other night at Jason's, and she knew he was taking it rough. Kat - and herself if she was perfectly honest – would always be especially important to Tommy; it was just something about his nature. That and they were probably the only two women he'd ever been in love with. Flipping her hand through her brown shoulder-length hair again she looked towards the clock, sighing when she saw only two minutes had passed since she'd last looked. The doorbell's sudden shrill ring made Kim sigh with relief.

Hurrying to the front door, she let her two visitors in without a second's hesitation. "You're late, talk about making me worry!"

"You really have to tell us that?" Jason said as he bent down to kiss Kim on the cheek "You know whose fault it is."

"As much as I would like to – and normally do- take full credit, I believe your car has to share some of the blame." Tommy responded as he followed Jason in entering the house and bending to kiss Kim on the cheek.

"I just thought I'd state it for the record." Kim replied as she shut the door, smiling as she watched the two men head down the familiar hallway, pulling off their coats as they went. They were doing the usual banter, which made Kim's spirits soar. It was normalcy for them and they needed to be doing everything they could to keep things normal. They wouldn't be able to help Kat if they were down themselves.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Jason shot over his shoulder as he walked into her lounge.

"Yes, Jase," Kim replied as she went to join them "I thought I'd invite you both round for a relaxing catch-up, which you are then late for, then just stand in the hallway whilst you insult me."

"Kimberley," Jason said charmingly, spreading his arms wide as if about to embrace her "Would I ever do such a thing?"

Tommy chuckled whilst Kim said with all certainty "Yes."

"Fine then." Jason replied, dropping his arms and then collapsing with mock defeat into a nearby armchair.

"So?" Kim said after a moment's silence.

"So what?" Jason replied, but his eyes had hardened and Kim knew he knew what she was asking about.

"You know. This isn't the time for playing games Jase." Tommy replied, his voice soft but serious.

Jason sighed "Ok." He opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by Kim firing a question at Tommy.

"How are you holding up?"

Tommy looked slightly surprised at this but answered quickly "I'm fine."

Kim snorted whilst Jase muttered under his breath "And Zedd didn't have an eco-skeleton."

"Which was totally gross by the way," Kim added in Jason's direction before returning to Tommy and missing Jason rolling his eyes. "But was real which means that you're not fine."

"Kim…"

"Don't even go there Oliver." She relied warningly.

Tommy sighed and sat back in his chair "I don't know," he answered after a moment "I just… don't know. Sometimes I feel so angry that I could take on the Machine Empire and Mesagog at the same time and still have enough energy after to take on these bastards. And others I jus want to go and get her, bring her home to where we can look after her. She shouldn't be on her own with this."

"Where we can look after her?" Jason asked quietly "Or where you can?"

Tommy laughed wryly at that "If she did come back and I did want that, d'you think I'd be allowed a moment's peace with her? I'd have to get past Tanya, Aisha and that one over there first," Tommy said motioning to Kim "And then there's Adam, Rocky and you to contend with."

"That doesn't answer the question." Kim said, a small smile on her lips.

Tommy sighed "I don't know, ok? I'm just so confused at the moment. As soon as she's safe I'll sort all this out."

Jason shook his head and was about to press the issue when Kim turned on him. "And you?"

"Me?"

"Yes you." Kim said exasperated.

Jason shrugged "I'm dealing," he said matter-of-factly "I just want it to be over already. I want her here with us, where she belongs."

"Okay." Kim nodded.

"Hang on," Tommy said sitting up "I get the third degree and all he gets is one question?"

"Yep."

"Deal with it bro," Jason said "And now it's your turn, KImmie. How are you doing?"

Kim sighed, not sure if she should mention anything. It would definitely dampen their spirits and probably worry and confuse Tommy even more. Looking up at them she was about to make up some excuse when they both gave her the same look. The one where they knew her so well that whatever she was about to say they weren't going to believe so she might as well tell them the truth. And that was the real problem here. They all knew each other so well. They knew what was going on in each other's lives and how they worked; after the things they'd been through together it was impossible for them not to know each other so well. But that was the problem for Kim.

"We should've known," she said at last "We know each other better than anyone can really know each other. We've fought things unimaginable to most people and got through it because we were together. How did we miss this? How did we not realise she needed our help? She is one of my best friends. I use to speak to her at least once a week, and didn't fight to keep that up when she got the new job. I didn't even notice how dull she sounded until Tanya said so a few weeks ago. Until Adam said that Tanya was starting to get depressed because Kat was. Why didn't I notice?"

Jason and Tommy stared at Kim as she literally deflated before them, finally letting loose all the feelings that she needed to say.

"All I wanted was for her to be happy. And she said she was but she's not. Why didn't I know that she was lying? Sometimes I know her better than myself, but iddin't know this? She has always been there for me when I've needed her. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have lived half the life I have, I wouldn't have been able to follow my dream. There was no-one else that I would've trusted with the power but her, I knew that from my instincts. So why the hell didn't I listen to them when I thought something was wrong?"

"You weren't the only one," Tommy said, staring at one of the most important people in his life and having his heart broken at her obvious pain "None of us did anything when we should have."

"But you at least have an excuse," Kim said, fighting back tears "You haven't spoken to her in years-"

"When I should have," Tommy said firmly "Because I'm a coward I shied away from talking to her, from dealing with everything that happened between us. And now I can't be the friend she needs, the friend I want to be to her. I don't want to lose her Kim, but I think we already have."

"We're not there yet," said Jason as he got up "And don't either of you talk like that again."

"Jase…" Kim began.

"No," he said, turning to face her "You weren't the only one, we all didn't notice and we're all to blame. But it is not too late. You both have to understand that. We are not too late. And we are going to put up one hell of a fight to get her back. It's no different to a monster taking her, or Rita and Zedd trying to turn her evil again, we wouldn't give up then and we certainly wouldn't be talking like this. I know we need to talk about how we're feeling so we can deal with this the best way we can. But we also have to stay focused. We're not going to lose this fight."

Kim smiled slightly, looking up at Jason "I forgot how good a motivational speaker you were."

Jason grinned down at her and then walked over and pulled her up into his arms, hugging her tightly. Looking at Tommy over the top of her head, he nodded slightly and Tommy nodded back. Kim stepped back from Jason and stared between the two men. Jason grinned and gave her the same nod. Kim smiled slightly and just shook her head, which made Tommy smile as well.

"Ok," Kim said "If we're going to win this fight we're going to have to actually do something aren't we?"

"You have that crazed look in your eyes." Jason said wearily, slowly backing away from Kim.

"Haha, mr. Funny-know-it-all." Kim said as she walked towards the phone.

"Jason mr-know-it-all?" Tommy asked with a slight grin "I think you're getting confused Kim."

"Maybe," Kim replied cheekily and the started dialling.

"Bro she's planning something." Tommy said, with mock-worry written all over his face.

"I know, this doesn't look good." Tommy said in a serious voice whilst sitting up but ruining it with the grin all over his face.

"Hey Kat! It's me, but I know you know that. I'm ringing cos I have a slight dilemma and I need your help. Like seriously need you help! It's a matter of great urgency and only you can provide the answer. So please ring me back as soon as you can, ok? Love you girl!"

Kim put down the phone and turned triumphantly to the boys. They didn't know her idea as it had only just struck her when Jason spoke but it was a perfect opportunity. It would get Kat talking and confiding in her again and remind them of their friendships from when they were younger. It also had nothing to do with what they suspected was wrong with Kat so it might just work.

"What have you done?" Jason said slowly.

"I just have implemented the first stage of our plan to get Kat talking again." Kim said, her spirits soaring at the look of relief and hope in Tommy's eyes.

"Our plan?" Jason asked "I don't know anything about this plan."

"Well you won't actually play that big a part in it." Kim said.

"We won't?" Tommy asked, confused at the grin on Kim's face.

"And why won't we?" Jason asked suspiciously.

"Because as far as I know, you don't know a thing about what clothes a girl should wear to her high school reunion do you?" Kim replied as the phone rang and she went to get it. "Hello?"

Jason snorted "Damn straight we don't missy. I know you doubt Tommy's manlihood but-"

"K-Kat?"

Both men shut up as Kim gasped into the phone.

"I guess her plan worked." Tommy said slowly, as he started to smile "We might actually be able to do this."

"Whaddaya mean 'might'? Get some faith man." Jason said, punching his friend's shoulder "We're gonna do this."

_Hope you liked and please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

Present Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers… unfortunately…

Summary: Kat's life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated but I've been overloaded with work so I didn't have any time. I promise not to leave it so long for updating the next chapter.

Kat slammed her front door and jammed all the locks shut. She didn't want them coming in, invading here; they hadn't touched this place yet. As depressing and lowly as her flat was, it was still somewhere she was safe.

Dropping her bags on the floor she ran to the kitchen, her hands fumbling with the drawers and cupboards because she was shaking so much. She'd finally done it, she'd finally stoof up to them. Opening the cutlery drawer she took out a bottle opener and then pulled a bottle of wine from the top cupboard. Trying to place the opener on top of the wine took several tries and then she gave up, leaning back against the counter, taking deep breaths. She needed a drink, something to settle her nerves. Getting through tonight was going to be rough enough, but drinking would at least stop her imagination from going into overdrive and showing her all the possibilities of the fallout that would be tomorrow morning. Zordon help her, tomorrow was going to be hell. Eyeing up the wine Kat knew that it wasn't going to be strong enough to help her, instead she reached back up into the top cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

She walked slowly back into the lounge and slid down the wall next to her phone and answering machine. It was her only source of comfort now; the only link that still existed between her and her friends. They'd all been calling her, even Tommy who she only ever heard from on occasions such as birthdays or Christmas. Kim and Aisha had needed her opinion on every variation of every outfit they could possibly wear to the reunion. If Kat hadn't needed these calls to stay sane she would've questioned why they'd all taken such a big interest in her life all of a sudden. Not that they hadn't before, just phone-calls only came once every month or two, not every night. But they couldn't know, there was no way of them finding out. Kat kept telling herself that. She also kept telling herself that if they had _somehow _found out she wouldn't let them get involved, she wouldn't taint them with her uselessness. She flinched physically just as she had done earlier today as the words came back to her.

"…_useless, worthless scum…"_

The phone shrilled suddenly and Kat was torn out of her recollection of today's events. So in need of some friendly comfort, Kat almost picked up the phone immediately. But something in her gut didn't feel right so she held back. Thirty seconds later, when her fake voice had finished its message and the beep had sounded, she was very glad she hadn't picked up the phone.

"Katherine you wench! Where are you?! You'd better not be screening my calls! What you did today was inexcusable, unforgivable! And you will pay for it. Mark my words: you – will – pay. The directors of the company know, so at least we won't have to put up with you for much longer. Unfortunately your name is still on the presentation ballot so you'll have to stay for that, but the second it is over, believe me, you are finished. You'll never work in London dance again!" Melissa's voice screeched "The end of an abysmal career – if you can call it that – to fit an equally pathetic person. Quite fitting actually isn't it? You'd better show your face tomorrow though bitch, or your life won't be worth living! Although it's not much anyways is it?"

The machine clicked to signal the end of the message and with trembling hands Kat reached up and tried to press the delete button, but she was shaking so hard she couldn't reach.

Unscrewing the cap of the bottle in her hands Kat lifted it to her lips and took a large gulp. It burnt her throat and sent a flash of fire through her insides but Kat didn't feel it properly; it was like she was detached from her body somehow. Her mind, which was still reeling from all the insults and threats that had been thrown at her today, was numb. All it was doing was repeating part of the day's events over and over again, pushing Kat further and further into despair. She was so out of it she didn't even hear the phone start to ring again.

"…_ugly, lump of shit…"_

"Hey Kat, it's just good ol' Rocko-"

"…_pathetic bitch…"_

"I guess you're still at work but I thought I'd give you a ring, see how you are-"

"…_waste of space…"_

"You know, because we haven't chatted in awhile-"

"… _nobody wants you, you're worthless…"_

"I just wanted to talk to you-"

Wait. Somebody wanted to talk to her? Kat's mind was fuzzy and only half because of the alcohol. Had she heard that right? Somebody wanted to talk to her, purposefully talk to her. But they always said nobody wanted her, nobody liked her. Yet here was someone saying that they did. And it was more then someone, it was an old friend. One of her oldest, dearest friends... It was Rocky...

Rocky let out a deep sigh and wondered if he should carry on or not. They'd made loads of progress with Kat over the last two weeks, with one of them managing to talk to her every night. Tanya and Kim had even wheedled talk out of Kat, getting her to open up about herself instead of just listening to them. They now knew where she lived and worked, that she didn't have much of a social life and nearly no friends. This, along with her reluctance to discuss her work, made the deduction that whatever was happening to her was happening in the work environment a very easy one to make.

Kim had wanted to charge over to England and go to Kat's work to see for herself, and Rocky privately agreed with her. But Jason held them all off, saying that Kat needed to ask for their help, that if they went barging in over there they could make the situation a lot worse. Tommy had pointed out that seeing as they didn't know the full extent of what was happening to Kat, they should stick to what they knew was doing something; what they knew was starting to get through to her. Rocky knew that Tommy hated being powerless to help one of his friends, but he was starting to think that maybe this went a little deeper for Tommy, thta it was more personal because it was Kat...

Shaking his head Rocky contemplated what he was going to say next. Tommy wouldn't do anything like that now, even _if_ he was going down that path again, he just wanted Kat safe and happy. As any friend would and like the rest of us do, Rocky told himself, you're reading way too much into this.

"Anyways," he continued "I'll stop hogging your answer machine now and just see if you call me back. Which if you could do would be great 'cos as i said, we haven't chatted in awhile. So speak to you soon-"

"Rocky?"

The voice that spoke was so timid and quiet that for a second Rocky wondered if he'd heard anything at all.

"R-Rocky?"

"Kat?" Rocky asked desperately; something was wrong "What is it? What's happened?"

"I did something terrible... something i wasn't suppose to... and they're so a-angry..." Her voice was barely a whisper and it was trembling. Rocky had never heard her talk like this before, she sounded weak and vulnerable. Even when they'd been fighting monsters, when they'd been seconds away from possible defeat, she'd never sounded like that. And that's when it hit him.

It hit him so powerfully that he had to fight not to swear out loud. H e knew now that they couldn't wait any longer, that they had to act now. Otherwise there wouldn't be anyone left for them to save. Whoever had done this to Kat had taken away her fighting spirit; had taken her soul.

"Hang on in there Kat. We're coming to get you."

Reviews would be very nice, i'd love to know what people still think of this story.


	6. Chapter 6

Present Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers… unfortunately…

Summary: Kat's life is slowly deteriorating before her eyes, so how will interfering friends and a high school reunion help?

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated but I've been overloaded with work so I didn't have any time. I promise to try to not to leave it so long for updating the next chapter.

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Kim had never been very good at sitting still and waiting for things to happen. She'd always wanted to be there, doing it already. It wasn't like she didn't have patience (growing up with Zack and Rocky you had to have patience) but if asked between waiting for an event or being at that event Kim would always choose being there. Even now, when she knew that what was about to happen could be one of the most testing and traumatic experiences of her life, she wanted to be there doing it, rather than stuck on a plane waiting.

Letting out a sigh, she slumped back on her seat and started tapping her armrest, trying to get rid of some of her nervous energy. She turned back to the person besides her and whined again, knowing it was totally childish of her.

"How much longer?"

"An hour until we land." Jason replied, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him.

"Still? When was the last time I asked you?"

"Ten minutes ago."

"The ten minutes should've passed!"

"Kim calm down," Adam said gently from the seat behind her "We'll be there soon."

"Not soon enough." Kim muttered as she again slumped backwards into her seat.

Jason turned around slightly and nodded at Adam from over his shoulder, a silent communication of thanks passing between them.

Adam settled back into his seat and watched Kim from behind, knowing that she was just showing the feelings that they were all experiencing. Everyone was worried about Kat, they all wanted her better and back safely with them so that nobody could hurt her again. But they were all also feeling guilty.

After everything they'd all been through together it was impossible for anyone to know them as well as they did each other. They were able to know what the others were thinking by just the expression on their faces. They knew each others deepest fears and darkest secrets. So how had none of them figured out what was wrong with Kat? And even when they had figured it out why did it take them so long to do something about it? Adam dreaded to think what would've happened if they hadn't had the reunion coming up; if there hadn't been a reason why they all got back in contact with Kat.

Curling his hands into fists Adam felt hot fury at himself spread his insides. They shouldn't have needed a reason to help their friend; it took a stupid dance to get them to get their acts in order? How pathetic was that? Sighing and relaxing his tense body Adam knew he was avoiding the real question that was bothering him; the question which happened to be tearing Tanya apart from the inside. He hated to see her in pain and the last few months had been terrible as she tried to cope with losing contact with her best friend, and not knowing why. Not that it hadn't been easy on the others. It had been a terrible wake-up call to all of them and Adam knew none of them were coping with it well. Kim kept having uncharacteristic outbursts, Tommy hadn't relaxed since hearing the news, being tense and edgy, and Rocky had seemed to have lost his sense of humor, not being able to crack any jokes.

It was bothering all of them and Adam knew it was only in the back of his mind, where all his purest emotions were from, that he could ask himself that one all-important question: Were they bad friends?

Coming from a team of superheroes where their friendship was the only thing that kept them alive, it was a difficult thing to even think. Let alone acknowledge the possibility of it being true...

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Kat kept her head and down and just worked, keeping her entire concentration on the seating layout in front of her. It didn't matter that her eyes were glazed over and that she wasn't even seeing the diagram, as long as people thought she was working they would leave her be and that was all Kat wanted. It had been bad enough walking into work this morning whilst trying to hold her head high when everybody was staring at her accusatorily, she didn't need another confrontation now. Sneaking a look at her watch she saw it was nearly six o'clock and reminded herself that she'd managed to get through the majority of the day; she could handle one more hour.

After her confrontation the other day she had been shunned by everybody and demoted to doing the lowliest jobs necessary for the upcoming presentation; which was why she had spent the entire day doing a silly seating plan that in fact took her less then ten minutes to complete. She'd huddled over it the rest of the day pretending to go over every detail and focused on getting it absolutely right. In reality Kat was just counting down the minutes till the end of the day. It wasn't a good thing to hide from her colleagues and she knew this, but ti was the only thing that could make the hellhole of a workplace seem even somewhat bearable.

Re-shuffling the papers in what she hoped looked like frustration, Kat hunkered down once more and tried desperately to stop counting the minutes; it would just make it seem longer.

"Oh, Katherine?" A sickly voice jilted Kat out of her pretence and she turned slowly to see Rachel smiling smugly down at her "Melissa would like to see you in the foyer. Now."

Kat shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get some inner calm so that she'd be prepared for whatever it was the Melissa was about to throw at her. Instead all that happened was the rise of bile in the back of her throat. Noticing that other people were staring at her Kat slowly got up and began to walk to her dreaded destination. With each and every step she took, Kat could feel a piece of her self-confidence shattering. By the time she got there Melissa wouldn't have to reduce her to a pathetic wreck: she'd already be one. And like a lamb to the slaughter, Kat went, knowing all the time that things were about to get so much worse.

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"Should we ring again?" Kim asked, hopping up and down to try and see over Jason's shoulder as he rang the buzzer to Kat's building.

"I think she would've answered by now, don't you?"

"Not if she doesn't want company. If she's… tired," Kim's voice faltered slightly here but she carried on "after work she doesn't even have the strength to talk to us sometimes. And that's just talking, I wouldn't think she'd want actual people there."

"Kim has a point." Adam said slowly whilst fumbling in his pocket.

"Then what are we suppose to do? Kat didn't want to talk to us over the phone I highly doubt she's just going to come down and let us in if we ring her up and say 'hey we're here!'. Do you?" Jason replied, the frustrated edge to his voice clear.

"I suppose she might not be home yet." Kim said thoughtfully "We could wait out here for her?"

"Which could possibly make her freak out even more fis he comes home and just finds us waiting for her," Jason said, sighing "Besides we don't know how long it'd take and you're already cold I don't want you freezing your butt off."

"I am not col-"

"You're shivering Kim."

"Nervous disposition."

"Yes because you've always shook before a fight."

"We've never had a fight like this before." Kim said quietly, staring up at Jason worriedly.

"She'll be alright," Jason said softly, walking over and placing his hands on Kim's shoulders, staring down at her reassuringly "We'll get her out of this."

"Well if you two have had enough bickering time then how's about we go in?" Adam said, holding open the outer door and motioning inside.

"How did you?" Kim began before Jason interrupted her.

"You haven't been practicing picking locks again have you Adam? You know I'm off duty now but I'd have to report you as a possible miscreant when we get back home."

Adam shook his head, an almost smile playing at his lips as he held up a key chain with two keys attached "Kat gave these to Tanya when she first moved here a few months ago. Tan was doing a guest spot on some international radio show and they said they might have to record in London. Kat sent her the keys saying to crash here if she needed."

"And you only just told us now because?" Kim asked walking forwards into the building.

"I'd figure we had best let Kat let us in if she was home."

"And the last twenty minutes when we've been in the freezing cold?" Kim said, her stare mimicking the weather she had just mentioned.

"I couldn't find the key?" Adam smiled innocently.

"Alright let's just do this, ok?" Jason said, taking charge "Are we ready?"

Adam nodded straight away but Kim closed her eyes for a minute before letting out a long sigh and then murmuring 'yes'. Jason nodded in reply and then led the way up the stairs to Kat's flat. Coming up to her door, Jason slowed slightly his mind racing at all the possibilities of what could happen next and what heeded to be done next.

He felt the heavy weight of all the others who hadn't been able to come on his shoulders. When Rocky had told them they needed to act without delay the urgency in his voice had made Jason call in his vacation time and book a fight before even contacting the others. Adam and Kim had been the only other ones able to get away on such short notice but Jase knew that the others would all be calling the second they'd finished their works for the day. There were too many people worried about Kat and wanting her safe for this not to work. And it was that thought that he'd been telling himself over and over since he got on the plane, the one thing that had kept him going throughout all this. But now that he was actually here, Jason didn't know whether it would be enough.

Bracing his shoulders as if for a blow, Jason reached out and knocked on Kat's front door, the force from which making the wood rattle. Wincing at his over use of strength Jason waiting quietly for a minute knowing that Adam and Kim behind him were both holding their breaths in anticipation. After a moment's silence her turned to them with a raised eyebrow.

"Try knocking again." Kim suggested.

"You think she didn't hear that?"

Kim opened her mouth to reply when she shut it and shook her head "No. Of course she would've. I'm surprised the door's still intact."

"I've got the key," Adam said quietly "We could open it and just see if she'd in, if not we close it and come back later."

Jason frowned thoughtfully, scenarios running through his mind. On one hand he wanted to see Kat, make sure she was ok that they were there and then start trying to help her. On the other hand he didn't want to push their luck. He'd seen it happen enough times at work to know that if they pushed to hard they would force Kat back into her shell and then what could they do?

"I don't know guys." He finally said "We could make things a lot worse."

"We're here," Kim said, her voice sounding a lot more confident then she looked "I say we go for it. We did knock and if Kat is in there then we can honestly say that we kocked and didn't want to let ourselves in but had no other choice."

"Adam?"

"I'm with Kim, we've come this far."

"Ok, open it up."

Standing aside to let Adam near the door Jason hoped they hadn't just made a huge mistake.

The door clicked open and they quickly hurried inside, Kim closing the door behind her as Adam and Jason went about the flat calling out to see if Kat was home. Walking into the living area Kim stared around at her friends home and knew she wasn't supoose to be here. This place wasn't Kat in any sense of the word and Kim knew that her friend wasn't happy here. Walking around she saw the answering machine and headed over to it as Jason and Adam came back to join her.

"She's not home." Jason stated the obvious watching Kim as she hit the replay button.

"Guess that means she's still at work?" Adam asked just as the machine started to play.

"No new messages. One saved message, message received at…"

"Do we have her work address?" Adam asked, feeling uncomfortable that they were listening to Kat's private messages. Five seconds later that uncomfortable feeling was replaced with one of rising anger.

"_Katherine you wench! Where are you?! You'd better not be screening my calls! What you did today was inexcusable, unforgivable! And you will pay for it. Mark my words: you – will – pay. The directors of the company know, so at least we won't have to put up with you for much longer. Unfortunately your name is still on the presentation ballot so you'll have to stay for that, but the second it is over, believe me, you are finished. You'll never work in London dance again!" Melissa's voice screeched "The end of an abysmal career – if you can call it that – to fit an equally pathetic person. Quite fitting actually isn't it? You'd better show your face tomorrow though bitch, or your life won't be worth living! Although it's not much anyways is it?"_

Jason's whispered words were like thunder in their impact.

"Tell me we have her work address."

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Again sorry it's been so long but if ya still with me I'd love to know what you think. Thanks for reading!


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